Art Initiates Laughs, Lessons at PACA

Have you ever seen a movie with a friend, thought it was remarkably good and then entered into discussion afterward, fully expecting them to agree with you — only to find that they thought quite the opposite?

This tension — wrought by the subjectivity of art — is at the very core of Yasmina Reza's Art, a play that explores what happens when a man proudly buys an expensive painting (it's all white, with a few white lines), a piece whose worth and value is loudly contested by one friend, while a third attempts to keep the peace and placate everyone, thinking it will bring an end to the rift. He is, of course, completely and hilariously wrong.

Bringing these three characters to life at the Performing Artists Collective Alliance (PACA), under the direction of Margo Wolfe, are three of Erie's finest actors, John Stockhausen, Ken Falkenhagen, and Mark Tanenbaum. Tanenbaum, who is also the artistic director of PACA, plays Yvan, the peacekeeper: "[He's] too desperate for friendship and fearful of being alone to make a stance either way regarding the art which could leave him bereft of companionship," Tanenbaum said.

It's a position many of us can relate to, and while the play unfolds as a "hysterically well-written" comedy, there are lessons to be learned between laughs. In fact, Tanenbaum thinks the premise of Art describes a much broader issue in today's society, a "situation where differences of opinion between friends can make or break their friendships…It doesn't have to be about art. It's really about how we communicate our differences, and that is a process we can all try and improve."

Start your improvement process by watching and learning from one of only six engagements at PACA's downtown location. — Cara Suppa